American Samoan drive to re-register voters

The Election Office in American Samoa is urging voters who did not vote in the last two elections to re-register to make sure their names are on the voter list for the November 2008 general election.

While a good number of voters have visited the Election Office to re-register, the Deputy Election Officer, Filiva'a Mageo, says there is still a lot of confusion over the purging of names.

Mr Mageo says most voters are carrying voter registration cards with the understanding that they are good for eight years, and as far as they are concerned they can vote in any election as long as their registration ID card has not expired.

Mr Mageo say this is a wrong interpretation, as local election law states that a voter's name is purged when an individual does not vote in two consecutive elections, or within four years.

He says all voters should ensure they have a vote by checking the lists held at the the election office.